The Past and Future City

THE PA S T A N D FUTURE CITY HOW HISTORIC PRESERVATION IS R E V I V I N G A M E R I C A’ S C O M M U N I T I E S STEPHANIE MEEKS with Kevin C. Murphy The Past and Future City The Past and Future City How Historic Preservation Is Reviving America’s Communities Stephanie Meeks with Kevin C. Murphy Washington | Covelo | London Copyright © 2016 National Trust for Historic Preservation All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher: Island Press, 2000 M Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036 Island Press is a trademark of The Center for Resource Economics. Library of Congress Control Number: 2016938037 Printed on recycled, acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Keywords: Affordable housing, community revitalization, gentrification, green building, historic building, historic district, historic neighborhood, historic tax credits, inclusive communities, Jane Jacobs, National Main Street Center, Preservation Green Lab, public space, urban revitalization, walkable community To Rob, for your inspiration and encouragement A city is more than a place in space, it is a drama in time. —Patrick Geddes Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction: The Powers of Place 1 Chapter 1: Downtown Is for People: Competing Visions of the Ideal American City 25 Chapter 2: Older, Smaller, Better: How Older Buildings Enhance Urban Vitality 43 Chapter 3: Making It Work for Your City: Unleashing the Power and Potential of Historic Fabric 69 Chapter 4: Buildings Reborn: Keeping Historic Properties in Active Use 133 Chapter 5: Our Diverse History: Toward More Inclusive History and Communities 163 Chapter 6: Mitigating the Great Inversion: The Problems of Affordability and Displacement 201 Chapter 7: The Greenest Buildings: Preservation, Climate Change, and the Environment 235 Conclusion: The Future of the Past: Livable Cities and the Future of Preservation 257 Notes 263 Bibliography About the Authors Index 323 313 321 Acknowledgments Just as historic places are the physical embodiment of countless Americans’ stories, the act of writing a book is by no means solely the labor of one or two people. In crafting The Past and Future City, I am indebted to many hardworking staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the wider preservation community as well as to other authors, thinkers, readers, friends, and family. First, let me especially thank my colleague in composing this book, and the speechwriter at the National Trust, Kevin C. Murphy. He has proved invaluable in shaping, researching, revising, and editing the book before you. I also know he would feel remiss if I did not extend his deepest thanks to his patient fiancée, Amy, and dog, Murf. This book immediately found a home and champion in Island Press, and I want to acknowledge Chuck Savitt, David Miller, and especially our keen and insightful editor, Heather Boyer, for their work in helping this project along. I also want to recognize all the many dedicated and knowledgeable staff at the National Trust, whose hard work and passionate commitment to saving places inform so many of the stories throughout this book. Special thanks go to Tabitha Almquist, David Brown, Paul Edmondson, Sheri Freemuth, Tom Mayes, Germonique Ulmer, and Hannah White, all of whom contributed their invaluable thoughts and edits to this volume. xiii xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In addition, Mary Butler and her design team at the National Trust also went above and beyond what was expected in helping find and secure rights to the photographs, tables, and graphs throughout the book. Mary, Dennis Hockman, and others also helped us brainstorm the title and cover for this project. This book relies particularly heavily on the groundbreaking empirical research conducted by the Preservation Green Lab, a small subset of the National Trust that carries an outsized impact on its work. With that in mind, I want to thank Jim Lindberg, Margaret O’Neal, Michael Powe, and Jeana Wiser as well as former directors Mark Huppert, Patrice Frey, and Liz Dunn. Jim, Mike, and Patrice also looked over this manuscript and made important suggestions. I also want to thank the many writers and thinkers, in the preservation and planning communities and beyond, whose works inspired and informed this book. They include Kaid Benfield, Stewart Brand, Alan Ehrenhalt, Anthony Flint, Jan Gehl, Laurance G. Henderson, Sonia Hirt, Myrick Howard, Jane Jacobs, Ned Kaufman, James Howard Kunstler, Tom Mayes, Barbara McCann, Ed McMahon, Charles Montgomery, Max Page, Albert Rains, Donovan Rypkema, Jeff Speck, Carter Wilkie, and Richard Willson. When I came to the National Trust from The Nature Conservancy in 2010, I knew I had big shoes to fill in replacing Richard Moe, the head of the National Trust for seventeen years. I extend many thanks to him, and also to my three board chairs, Clifford Hudson, Carolyn Brody, and Marita Rivero, as well as to all the members of the National Trust Board, National Trust Council, and advisors who have helped shape my thoughts on preservation over these past few years. I am eternally in debt to my husband, Rob, for his insights as a real estate professional and planning commissioner, and to my three sons who (mostly) patiently endure our many trips to historic sites and neighborhoods. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Finally, I want to thank the fifteen million and counting preservationists in the United States, who are working each and every day in their communities to save the places that matter. This book—and all the work done at the National Trust—rests on their shoulders. xv